1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of connectors, more specifically to connectors suitable for use in high-speed data communication.
2. Description of Related Art
High-speed connectors are known and while a number of configurations exist, they typically include multiple high-speed data paths that allow two components to communicate together. One version of a high-speed connector is a plug connector and a receptacle connector that mate together. While different version are possible, one plug connectors that is known and has been used in standard connector designs is the SFP plug connector design compatible with the SFF Committee INF-8074i specification for SFP (Small Form factor Pluggable) Transceiver. While the overall shape of the connector has proven satisfactory for a number of uses, changes in technology have created a demand for a connector with improved performance. One method of addressing this demand is to make the connector wider, thus increasing the number of data channels. Unfortunately, the additional width takes up more space and inhibits the ability to make the components (and the resulting products) more compact. Therefore, increasing the effective speed of the data channels becomes more desirable. In general, increasing the data rate requires using either more complex signaling encoding (e.g., going from NRZ to PAM-5 encoding) or using higher frequencies to increase the effective data rate. It has been determined that existing connector designs are not well suited to provide these higher level performance levels, therefore improvements in the connector design would be appreciated.